Juan Pablo Montoya says Adrian Newey should stick to engineering but Aston Martin will still shock

With the team battling performance issues linked to their Honda power unit and struggling to match the pace of rivals, Montoya has questioned whether Aston Martin are misusing their biggest asset at a critical stage of the campaign.

Aston Martin have been dealing with instability in performance, energy deployment challenges and a narrow operating window, all of which have limited their ability to extract consistent pace. Against that backdrop, Montoya’s comments land hard, suggesting structural decisions inside the team may be contributing to their current struggles.

The Colombian motorsport veteran laid out the situation: “In Spanish we have a saying, ‘if you're a shoemaker stick to making shoes.’ Adrian is an engineer and he should stick to that. He is good at designing cars. He is not a team principal.

"So, I can understand it if they bring in Jonathan Wheatley. Adrian is an engineer. He’s not political. He is not there to deal with the press. He shouldn't be dealing with sponsors. His only focus should be on making the car go faster which is what he is brilliant at. Just stick to basics.”

Montoya does not believe Aston Martin are fundamentally off course, pointing instead to unresolved issues, particularly on the Honda side, that are masking the true potential of the package. He suggests the team are still searching for a stable operating window, something that has been evident in their inconsistent performances so far this season.

He pointed out: “The funny thing is, I still believe they're going to shock everybody once they figure all the issues. I do think they will have a pretty competitive car once all the sh!t clears up. It's going to take them longer, but I think Aston will surprise us and I think they will surprise this year.

"The main issue seems to be on the Honda side, but I don't know if Honda is the whole issue. But as I say, once they figure all the stuff out and they get within a working window of where they need to be, I think they should be pretty good.”

Montoya believes expectations around Honda may have been unrealistic: “I think Aston believed that they were going to get what Red Bull had on power when Honda moved over. I’ve worked with Adrian, I know how smart he is, I know how good he is. It just takes time.

"I think by the time we come back from the summer break, they're going to start looking better. And if they can start finding their way, I'd be optimistic for them long term because I think they're going to turn things around.”

Montoya also addressed the wider regulatory picture, making it clear there are no quick fixes available within the current framework given how long these systems have been in development: “You think in five weeks they're going to fix something that has been worked on the last four years?

"No. The only solution they can do, if it's a safety concern, is to limit the amount of energy deployment in sectors. Then it's fair game for everybody," he said, and pointed to energy deployment limits as a potential safety-driven adjustment, though one that would reshape race dynamics and strategy across the grid.

“If they want to change, you can either take power away to make the runs a little longer and the coast shorter, take 20 % of power from the electric engine, and then if they do that, they could use more energy for the push to pass, for the overtake.

"That wouldn't be a bad thing. If they limit how much energy and deployment people do in the other straights, then the safety concern of going over the speed would go away," explained the seven-time Grand Prix winner.

Montoya warned that any intervention could create new problems, particularly around overtaking and race flow, something Formula 1 has repeatedly experienced with past regulation changes.

He warned: “I don't know. Then you're going to get to the next race and nobody's going to pass anybody. And then people will complain that the racing is boring. You're going to fix the safety issue but you're going to end up people sitting like they used to sit in the DRS trains. And then what? There's no right answer, is there?”

He also challenged the narrative around overtaking, arguing that criticism of the current system ignores how artificial previous solutions were under DRS: “But it hasn’t been real for the 15 years that DRS has been there. So, are you telling me passing with the DRS was real passing?

"When people say, ‘Ah the rules now are bullsh*it. it's Mario Kart, where before it was real.’ That’s crazy. What’s the difference between the wing open and more energy? What's the end result? It's more speed," ventured Montoya.

For Aston Martin, the message is clear. Fix the technical issues, stabilise the Honda package and let Newey focus purely on engineering. In a regulation cycle with limited flexibility, execution and clarity of roles will determine whether their season turns around or continues to drift. (Quotes provided by Casinostugen)